Obturator lock for endoscopic instrument



Feb. 5, 1952 H.'$. RUBENS ET AL 2,584,619

OBTURATOR LOCK FOR ENDOSCOPIC INSTRUMENT Filed Nov. 4, 1949 I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 HARRY S. QUEENS y 6 AZ SUWA ATTORNEY 1952 H. s. RUBENS ET AL 2,584,619

OBTURATOR LOCK FOR ENDOSCOPIC INSTRUMENT Filed Nov. 4, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTORS HAR RY S RU SENS BYIGN SUWA A TTOQNEY not accidentally loosen or fiatented Feb. 5, i952 OBTURATOR LOCK FOR ENDOSCOPIC INSTRUMENT I Harry S. Rubens, Manhasset, and Ignaz Suwa,

' Jackson Heights, N. Y., assignors toNational Electric Instrument 00., Inc., Elmhurst, N. 1., a corporation of New York 4, 1949, Serial No. 125,502

- Application November a claims. (01. 128- The present invention relates generally to improvements in an endoscopic instrument and more particularly to improvements in a lock and cooperating obturator therefor in cystoscopes or the like diagnostic and treating instruments.

The cystoscope comprises, for example, an outer sheath or tube adapted for insertion into a body cavity through I an opening, natural or otherwise, whereby said body cavity is'to be illuminated, examined andtreated through a. fenestral opening provided in; said tube. The fenestral opening, prior to the insertion of the cystoscope into the bodylcavityor'withdrawal therefrom, is substantially closed by means of an obturator so that the edges of the fenest'rum do not cause injury during passage into or out of the body cavity. n

After the tube has bee inserted, the obturator is withdrawn and replaced by'a telescopic optical system through which/the body cavity is observedunder illumination, produced by an incandescent/lamp provided insidethe .tip of the outer cystoscope tube and which is adapted to illuminate through the fenestrumvwhile being treated, etc. I

After the insertionof the cystoscope, e. g. into the :bladder, it is advantageous to prevent any fluid leakage through the cystoscopelock, whether the lock comprises a component, e. g. a lock plug, as an embodiment of the obturator or of the telescopic optical system. Some, cystoscope locks heretofore known are disadvantageous in that they are not sufiiciently leak-proof or are not easily disengageable. For example, in the case of a screw type lock, the lock action may be forced to prevent leakage and thereby provides a tightening of the lock components so that undesirable pressure, which adds tothe discomfort of the patient, must be exerted to disengage the lock components. Other 'cystoscope'locks are more satisfactory with respectto locking action,

but are not sufficiently secured in locked position and the lock'co nponents are too'easily disengaged or loosened, which results in leakage through said lock] Moreover, cystoscope locks cystoscope lockfsecure in'lockedposition so that a cooperating "obturator 'ortel'esco'pic' system does beqm n d nipulation of an obturator, and maintains a plug as an embodiment of an obturator,

from the desired locked position. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cystoscope lock of rugged construction for long usage and maintenance of a secure leak-proof condition. It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a combination of a cystoscope lock and cooperating obturator adapted for obturating afenestrum by means of the locking action of said cystoscope'lock." Other objects'and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the description hereinafter following and the drawings forming part hereof,in which: I I

Figure 1 illustrates a sectional view of an assembled lock base and cooperatinglock ring,

Figure 2 illustrates a side view of an unassembled lock base, 7 Figure 3 illustrates a side view of an unassembled lock ring,

Figure 4 illustrates a view. of the lock ring along the lines 44 of Figure 3, H

' Figure 5 illustrates one side view of a lock plug asan embodiment of an obturator,

Figure 6 illustrates another side view of a lock Figure 7 illustrates an' end view of the lock plug along the lines l! of Figure 5, and

' Figure 8 illustrates an elevational view of an obturator positioned in a cystoscope tube shown .30.

'. scope lock comprises a lock body or look base,

in longitudinal section.

According to the present invention, the cystoa locking ring and a lock plug, which is a part of an obturator or of a telescopic system, and all said lock. parts or components cooperate to 'form'the cystoscope lock of the invention which is particularly advantageous for cystoscopes of the type described in my co-pending application Serial No. 43,097, filed August 7, 1948 now Patent No. 2,531,827. The lock is constructed to withstand long usage and contains novel features which insure excellent locking action, easy malocked position by frictional contact of large surfaces which prevent accidental disengagement or movement of the lock components. The combination of the said lock and the obturator is such that both cooperate in a novel manner to pro- -vide an obturation of the fenestrum simultacysto- 7 constructed softha t its'inner surface forms .a

reets '3 for containing a ockr e a e more particularly described. The breech 3 is provided with an annular groove 4 into which is fitted a sealing ring 5. The sealing ring 5 is constructed of a resilient material, e. g. rubber, etc., and fits loosely into the groove 4 due to its outer diameter being smaller than that of the groove. The inner diameter of the sealing ring is slightly smaller than the diameter of a lock plug or the diameter of said breech so that when the plug enters the breech a portion, of the plug passes through the sealin ring thereby increasing the diameter of the sealing ring to fill the annular groove 4, thus forming "a tight seal The outer surface of the lock ibase l, feg gQa cylindrical lock base structure, particularly illus; trated by Figure 2, is provided with a sleeve 6 integral therewith and reduced in'overall di' ameter to provide an abutment I. The sleeve fi is provided with twin diametrically disposed ,grooves.8 on its outer surface, said grooves arranged to" follow ahelicalvtraverse partly across -the outer surface of thesleeve 6; and a slot 9 least partly along the length'of the sleeve and parallelwith the axis of said sleeve.

A lever guide, IU positioned on "top Of the lock base preferably screwed partly through the thicker portion of the lock base I substantially near the abutment 1.;

Figure' 3 illustrates a side view of the lockjring tandjFigurel illustrates an end view of the lock ring along the lines 4-4 of Figure 3. The

lock ring is provided with a pair or drill holes, preferably threaded, diametrically opposite each other and formed completely through the wall of said lock ring'so that a pairoi guide pins l2 and [3 are secured to said drill holes in such manner that the pins project through the drill saidvgrooves, a movement of the lever 14 imp-arts rotary and axial motion to the lo'ckring ll. The

lock ring l alsoipriovided with apair of diainetrically opposite emma segments I5 and lfijone end thereof andorie" of "said segments having aslot ll positioned to coincide'in alignment with tfie'slo't 9 of Figure 2 such'as toprovide an entrance gate for alock plug pin hereinafter described. 'It is apparent from thed'rawremoved fits over the sleeve f6 and the pins "[2 land l 3are subsequently positioned to cooperate with the grooves 8 which secures the lock ring to thesleeve 6. V

Figures 5, 6 and 7 illustrate the lock plug I8 as part of an ob'turator whichis dimensioned ,to enter the breech 3 through thefsl'eeve 5. The lock plug is provided with structures adapted to cooperate withthe lock base and lock ring to secure said lock plug ,into lockin position by arotary interlocking movement of said lock ring.

In order to accomplish this, the lock plug is provided with a projection or a plug pin l9, flange sections 20 and 2| and a terminal flange 22, said flange sections and said flange being longitudinally spaced to form arcuate grooves 23, and .24, I said flange sections being provided with sides 7 Y l v or parallel to the segments 15 and 16 and perpendicularto the plug pin l 9. g I

assembling vthe lock, or placing the obtura' V l tolrin locked position aiterthe lock ringl I has n iw'sitionsi L ve t e slee e s 19W .v Figure '1, the lock plug I8 is held so that the plug pin I9 passes through the slot (1 of the terminal segment l5 and enters the slot 9 of the sleeve 6. When the pin [9 enters the slot 9, the flange sections simultaneously pass into the ring 5 l l beyond thesegments l 5 and l 6 until the flange zz abi ts ,j.aga inst the end or the loclc ring u, as illustrated by broken lines in Figure 1, which aligns the segments 15 and IS with the arcuate grooves 23 and 24.

,Upon a rgtary locking movement of the lever ll the segments l5 and I6 engage the slots 23 and 24 respectively while the guide pins I2 and '13 in"'cooperat "with the grooves 8 follow a h "t use the segments, which are 15 in fr c a terlocking contact with the flange sections and 2|, to advance the lock plu l8 into the breech When the guide pins [2 and tj3 are helically advanced in the direction of the abutment 1, the lock plug 18 is advanced laterally an q rqt ie lr 59 that arq t q c h lock plu'gfpasses through'thesealing ring 5 as here- "inbefore described, lateral non-rotatable "movement; of the ock; plug, and "consequently of the 'obturator,f 1s provided "for by the action of the plug pin leinfcooplation with the sleeve s ot 9-. .Ju theiore h 'j rr' fl r tat i u f ciently to align witlrth verguide ID, the fingers of the hand exerts" ght lockingfqree o'n the le l 4 and; tim le lq s ex r he c 'i the opposite direction upon the lever guide It! so that th'e lockis s tired irictionally 'without the possibilityfof 5c sing 'thejentlre cystosco-pe t r t t a ncr a e t e. p t nts d c m or Only a slight force is'xi ece'ssary to provide a secure loekingactionjbecause of the mechanical advantage afforded by helical slots 8 "and?! and frictional contact of the segments 1 5 and {6 with the flange sections 20 fandfl which provide substantially large surfacesfor said irictional contact and 'fo prevention gi accidental dislodgement'ofthe'lock plug fa ti consequent leakage. I It isapparent' that 'gnlyga fullrotary motion in reverse of i ully 'otaryldcking action will position thegroeve 'or gate slot for removal of 45 t leak pll efiiz} thees e nen i df are in interlocking 'fc act'with' the. flange sections 2 o and 2luntil fslot 11 is aligned with the sin; so: the "$1 "v s e 'fie endn a i an th' present invention posiination of the cysto- I H I} I bed and the obturater such,that'bothgcooperate in a novel m mento rov'i'de anfob'turationof the feneswrt'h. m ;1o1 mgmovement c v r e b u'mo e n s '94 Ric 1 1 12, l-: l' Z4 3 d lh lfi The i s i r t9" the ck p u 8 the lock plugand axis of the e t "co ncide inalignrnent, e. g. the 5115i? spews-lea i t b terwi h es e to he f e the b k plu 18 r e iq y located thereon "in fa mariner particularly illustr 'i Fl 551 e'rheebtum ea '2 6 i' is prov ded witha rounded projectionor sled 1 1'wh hs idsit i .la i e th W. Portion of the cy'stdsctpe tube 2 during insertion ends ex ac n gimm Q m e Q e-M Th s dr i5.v I S fi q 1 Z 9??? 'mi qt dn fll tlt d fur a 1Y3ifee f lidethrq h the t de l esl l trai d b th .Qbturatw I .l lhlilqk l en the obturator is inserted into the cystoscope tube, the lock plug is not in alignment with the sleeve 6 and a lower portion of the lock plug remains substantially below the sleeve 8 and must be forced slightly upward to contact the entrance of the sleeve. This upward movement of the lock plug causes the obturator shaft to bend slightly near the obturator head as illustrated. Upon locking rotation of the lever 14, the obturator head 26 is moved into contact with the fenestrum 29 and the obturator shaft is thereby relieved of the bend near the head to allow the projection 28 to move upwardly slightly beyond the upper surface of the cystoscope tube at the fenestrum. The upward movement of the obturator projection 28 causes the obturator head to come into alignment with the cystoscope tube and is no longer at the angle hereinbefore described but substantially follows the contour of the fenestrum 29.

Therefore, it is apparent that the cystoscope lock of the invention and the combination of said cystoscope lock and cooperating obturator provide a leak-proof lock and a novel obturation of a fenestrum according to the several objects hereinbefore set forth.

The invention is not limited to the specific illustrations and description herein set forth as relating to cystoscopes, but may be construed to include, generally, improvements for endoscopic instruments falling within the true scope of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. In an endoscopic instrument including a tubular body, the combination of an obturator and locking means therefor, said locking means comprising a sleeved base structure mounted on one end of said tubular body and having a breech in communication with said end of said tubular body, the inner surface of said base structure forming said breech and containing an annular groove, a resilient sealing ring positioned in said breech and held therein by means of said annular groove, a locking ring mounted on the sleeve portion of said base structure by means of a guide pin cooperative with a helically arranged groove on the outer surface of said sleeve portion to impart a simultaneous rotary and axial movement to said locking ring, said obturator comprising a shaft, a head portion on one end of said shaft and a lock plug on the other end, said lock plug being insertable into said breech and having a diameter larger than the inner diameter of said sealing ring, said locking rifig having on one end thereof a pair of diametrically opposed terminal segments, said lock plug having a terminal flange and longitudinally spaced therefrom, flange sections positioned on a rear portion of said plug to form arcuate grooves cooperative with said terminal segments to advance said lock plug into said breech partly 6 through sealing ring thereby forming a leakproof seal.

2. In an endoscopic instrument including a tubular body, a lock comprising in combination a sleeved base structure, a locking ring and a lock plug, said lock base structure being mounted on one end of said tubular body and having a breech formed therethrough in communication with said end of said tubular body, the inner surface of said sleeved base structure forming said breech and containing an annular groove, a resilient sealing ring positioned in said breech and held therein by means of said annular groove, the sleeved portion of said base structure containing a pair of diametrically disposed grooves arranged to follow a helical traverse partly across the outer surface of said sleeve portion, a slot partly along the length of the sleeved portion and parallel with the axis of said sleeve, a looking ring mounted on the sleeve portion of said base structure by means of guide pins cooperative with said grooves to impart a simultaneous rotary and axial movement to said locking ring, a lock plug insertable into said breech and having a diameter larger than the inner diameter of said sealing ring, said locking ring having on one end thereof a pair of diametrically opposed terminal segments, one of said segments being slotted, said lock plug having a terminal flange and longitudinally spaced therefrom, flange sections positioned on a rear portion of said plug, to form grooves cooperative with said terminal segments to advance said lock plug into said breech partly through said sealing ring, said lock plug having a projection insertable into said slot and advanceable therein upon a locking movement of saidlocking ring.

3. In an endoscopic instrument according to claim 1, an obturator comprising a shaft, a head means on one end of said shaft and a plug means on the other end of said shaft, said shaft being secured to said plug means eccentrically of the axis thereof, said head means having a projection on an upper rear portion thereof, a rounded projection on a bottom portion and positioned forward of said upper projection.

HARRY S. RUBENS. IGNAZ SUWA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,880,551 Wappler Oct. 4, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 126,844 Great Britain June 14, 1918 606,097 Germany Nov. 24, 1934 

